Tuesday, 16 July 2013

Make that salt mine

It would be easy to think, based on general media coverage, that
salt was one of the biggest enemies you can face in the search for a healthy
diet.

Funnily enough, my mother – who, as a physiotherapist, had first
to undertake basic nursing training – has always found the advice on cutting
salt to be contrary to what they were told.

The thinking then was that you would consume as much salt as
your body required.

Of course, that was at the end of the 1940s and was before these
halcyon days of vast amounts of processed foods stuffed with hidden salts and
sugars.

Indeed, a few years ago, I read comments from a GP who was
visited by a lady who was worried about her husband.

He apparently put what she thought was a lot of salt on his meal
at dinner.

The doctor stressed that that was not a problem: the problem was
those hidden salts.

Now I eat very little processed food. And I’m careful about how
much I use in cooking – some in, say, casseroles etc, and some in potatoes,
pasta or rice, but little else. I’d rather add later – sometimes as a specific
garnish, as the French do with fleur de sel.

However, in the last week, there have been no starchy carbs –
the weather ensures I have no inclination for them. So, a pretty much perfect
diet from the perspective of salt advice.

Yesterday, an hour or so after a light lunch – some left-over
boerevors and salad – I felt exhausted; really shattered.

The germ of an idea occurred to me.

I’d had no caffeine for several days, as a measure against
dehydration in this hot weather (and I am not complaining about the weather, by
the way).

I’d also been making more than usually sure that I was drinking
plenty of water – probably little less than two litres by that stage yesterday
afternoon.

So, all-round sensible stuff, combined with not spending too
much time in the direct sun.

The inkling was really quite simple, although on the surface,
slightly less sensible. I suddenly had the sense that I wanted – no: that I
needed – salt, so I picked up a bag of ‘salty and sweet’ popcorn, into which I
tossed extra salt, together with a can of diet Pepsi for the zip of some
caffeine.

Half an hour later, I felt restored.

It seems that, in being so careful, I’d probably flushed away
vital salts and minerals over the course of a few days, and not replenished
these.

It’s easy to forget, given media coverage of health issues, that
salt is essential to our good health.

We need it. It is not an optional extra. We don’t need sugar.
But we do need salt.

And perhaps, because I usually have some caffeine in a day, my
body was objecting to none.

So today, some caffeine, and a pot of cottage cheese for lunch,
to which could be added salt – indeed, it’s bland enough that it benefits fro
that, and a twist of pepper. Fruit to follow and plenty more water – this should
be more balanced.

In the evening, Nigel Slater’s quick version of that Moroccan
classic, chicken with lemons and olives. No rice, but a little salt in the
cooking of this, plus, of course, the natural saltiness of the olives.

And at 8pm, I'm still feeling quite lively.

I can’t help but wonder, though, how many other people are
experiencing anything similar.

A thought occurs. Some years ago, we were in Barcelona and The
Other Half got a mild case of sun stroke. We only really realised when, later
that day, he was exhausted and without an appetite, but found himself licking
salt off his finger in a restaurant.

Somehow, he realised, with a salt cellar in front of him, that
he needed it - and he's not a salt head.

My mother's tutors were probably right. What has changed, I
suspect, is simply that the quantity of salt shovelled into processed foods has
changed the equation. We need salt. Our bodies know it - and processed food
exploits that.

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About Me

London-based journalist, writer, photographer and artist, with one Other Half and three cats.
This blog is about all sorts of things, but mostly reviews. My interests include comics and opera (and even comic opera), cats, tattoos and art.
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